<p style="margin-bottom: 7px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1334.Alan_Greenspan"><img src="http://images.wisbar.org/Images/DigestEmails/Greenspan_Quote_210w.jpg" alt="" width="210" height="200" align="right"/></a>Slow responses. Not being listened to. Not knowing their case status. Not understanding what their lawyer is saying. Silence. These are just some of the common complaints clients have about their lawyers’ communication techniques. In fact, failure to communicate is the third most common complaint to the Office of Lawyer Regulation according to their <a href="https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/offices/docs/olr1516fiscal.pdf">2015-2016 annual report</a>.<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">1</sup> </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;">Wisconsin lawyers are not alone. In 2013, the New York and North Carolina State Bars stated that 80% of grievances were due to poor communications and inattention to client matters.<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">2</sup> The Legal Services Commission in Australia<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">3</sup> revealed the majority of client complaints concern poor communication or lack of courtesy - not the technical aspects of the legal work. A 2013 report titled <em>What Do Clients Want from Their Lawyers?</em><sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">4 </sup>concurs. Researchers looked at studies spanning three decades and three countries and concluded that clients evaluate their lawyers’ competence in terms of the client experience rather than the outcome of the case. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;">So, what can you do to improve your client communications? In the research for this column, two approaches stood out for their simplicity and effectiveness. Employing either method could go a long way toward improving your clients’ satisfaction. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>The first is the acronym T-R-E-A-T.<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">5</sup> </strong></p><blockquote style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Timeliness and Responsiveness.</strong> In today’s rapid communication age, this means responding immediately or nearly immediately. This may be simply acknowledging you received their communication and saying you will get back to them. At the very least, have trusted staff members who can respond on your behalf if you are unable to do so. </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Empathy.</strong> Take time to listen to your clients’ concerns. Understand that the law is not their area of expertise, and that this may be their first encounter with a legal situation. Be clear in your explanations and avoid legalese. Take time to speak to them in plain language. And, after delivering bad news, take a step back and give them time to process it. </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Assurance.</strong> This doesn’t mean guaranteeing the results. It means letting your clients know you are working to get the best results for them. </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Tangibles.</strong> Keep your clients informed of all that is happening in their matter. Send them copies of documents. Update them regularly with status reports (for a sample, follow <a href="https://www.attorneyatwork.com/three-tips-better-client-status-reports/">this link</a><sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">6</sup>). </p></blockquote><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>The second method is the <em>Four Cs of Effective Client Communications</em>.<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">7</sup></strong></p><blockquote style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Clear.</strong> Make your communication easy for your client to understand. Keep in mind the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Consistent.</strong> Set up a schedule for communicating with your clients and stick to it. If you decide to send status updates monthly, set up reminders in your calendar to keep you on track. </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Convenient.</strong> Communicate with your clients in the way they prefer or request. Ask them how they want to communicate during the intake process. </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Compelling. </strong>Your actions should be fulfilling a client expectation and need. Include the information necessary for them to get value from your message. Indicate whether and when they need to respond to your message. Make sure you indicate the status of their case and next steps. </p></blockquote><p style="margin-top: 0;">Take some time to review how you’re communicating with your clients, and make any needed adjustments to ensure you’re meeting their expectations, not just technically, but in service quality too.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><em><img src="http://images.wisbar.org/Images/DigestEmails/Wes_Moore-AMC_175w.jpg" alt="" width="175" height="263" align="right"/>New York Times</em> best-selling author and youth advocate Wes Moore will be the closing plenary speaker at the <a href="http://amc.wisbar.org/"><em>Annual Meeting & Conference 2017</em></a>, June 15-16 in Wisconsin Dells. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;">Acclaimed author Wes Moore is a veteran, Rhodes Scholar, and the founder of BridgeEDU. An incredibly successful and sought-after speaker, Moore entrances audiences with his infectious zest for life. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;">He has been featured by <em>USA Today, Time Magazine, People Magazine, Meet the Press, The Colbert Report,</em> MSNBC, and NPR, among others. Moore is also the host of <em>Beyond Belief </em>on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and the executive producer and host of PBS’s <em>Coming Back with Wes Moore</em>, which focuses on the re-integration of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their return home. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;">Following his presentation, Moore will conduct a book signing of his best-selling book, <em>The Other Wes Moore</em>, which will be available for purchase. </p><blockquote style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><em>The Other Wes Moore</em> tells the tale of two kids with the same name living in the same decaying city. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar and White House Fellow after serving in the prestigious 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army. The other is currently serving a life sentence for the killing of a police officer during an armed robbery. Burning with curiosity as to why he and the other Wes were so radically different, Moore investigated the man with the same name. The result was an instant <em>New York Times</em> and <em>Wall Street Journal</em> best-seller, which captured the nation’s attention on what draws the line between success and failure in our communities. </p></blockquote> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;">You can follow Wes on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/WesMoore1">@WesMoore1</a>) and on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/IAmWesMoore">www.facebook.com/IAmWesMoore</a>). See more at <a href="http://bridgeedu.com/">WesMoore.com</a>.</p>

<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">If it is, Happy Birthday from the State Bar of Wisconsin! In recognition of your special day, the State Bar is pleased to offer you a special 20% discount toward the purchase of State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">®</sup> products through February 28, 2017. </p>

<p style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;"><strong>Legal Cryptogram Answer:</strong> I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Wisconsin.</span></p>

<p style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;"> *This offer is not available with any other discount and expires February 3, 2017. Discount cannot be applied to previous purchases, or used for renewals of subscriptions, auto-supplementation subscriptions, or Books UnBound full library subscriptions.</span></p>